For further information please consult the course catalogue of Universität Potsdam. https://puls.uni-potsdam.de/qisserver/rds?state=verpublish&status=init&vmfile=no&publishid=84749&moduleCall=webInfo&publishConfFile=webInfo&publishSubDir=veranstaltung close

Even if currently overshadowed by the corona pandemic, the current global situation is characterized by numerous trouble spots, the simultaneity and intensity of which represent a novelty. In the “MENA” (Middle East / North Africa) crisis arc, the development is particularly focused on the Syrian civil war with its effects in and beyond the region. It is true that the self-proclaimed “Islamic State”, which had gained space for years and which became a threat far beyond Syria / Iraq, was pushed back. And Russia's intervention has relieved Syrian ruler Assad of the need to compromise. Due to the apparent pacification (rather the prospect of a “cemetery peace”) and the subsiding of the refugee crisis, the interest of the European public has diminished, but the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic. The seminar will pay particular attention to: the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) and the Sanremo Conference (1920), the development of Syria, the effects of the American intervention in Iraq in 2003, the role of the “Arab Spring ", the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, its development and the actors, the function of the proxy war between the Shiite and Sunni leading powers Iran and Saudi Arabia, development and potential danger of the conflict, previous actions or failures and future options for action by the Western powers, Russia's behavior, interests and procedures of other neighboring countries (e.g. Turkey), existing or missing solutions. All of this is intended to contribute to an understanding of the causes of the civil war and, as a result, to promote an understanding of its character and significance beyond Syria, but also to lead to considerations about the probable future of the Middle Eastern state system and the responsibility of the international community. close